


Ice Walls

by whiteraven1606



Series: Loosely Connected [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen, Mental Health Issues, Rescue, Trapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-24
Updated: 2013-02-24
Packaged: 2017-12-03 12:32:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/698267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteraven1606/pseuds/whiteraven1606
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce and Tony are stuck at the bottom of an ice ravine with Tony's suit in crappy shape. Then it starts to get colder.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ice Walls

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fill for this prompt: http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/13316.html?thread=30627332#t30627332
> 
>  
> 
> And a partial fill for this prompt: http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/13316.html?thread=30541060#t30541060
> 
> I'm spreading the second prompt over two parts in this series due to the nature of the overall arch with Bruce.

****

"Bulgesnipe. I hate Thor's realm's wildlife." Tony shoved on the ice around his leg. "How is it that I manage to get stuck and _then_ the suit fails?"

Bruce paced a few feet away, his bare feet flashing pink every time he lifted a foot. "Do you know where we are?"

Tony flipped his faceplate down. Minimal power, no signal, suit stuck in ice and no thrusters. "Nope. I have no idea."

Bruce shivered and tucked one bare foot up onto the tattered fabric of his Hulk pants. "Did anyone see us fall?"

"Don't know." Tony shoved on the ice surrounding his knee. "Bruce?"

Bruce shifted to his other foot and tucked the other on up onto his pant leg. "What?"

"Bruce, it isn't my turn for clothes."

He frowned and huddled down, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I hate the cold." He looked lost. "Since I got low...well, I just hate it."

Tony squinted up the ravine they were at the bottom of. "They'll come looking for us. JARVIS isn't going to like me going missing."

Bruce blinked and moved closer to Tony. "Tony, what do you have on under the suit?"

Tony huffed. "Just my under-armor layer and undies. Why? You want to..."

Bruce glared at him. "Tony."

With a grin, Tony gestured for Bruce to come closer. "Bruce-y, I know you won't like the suggestion, but you'd better let out the Big Guy."

Bruce touched the trapped foot of the suit and shivered. "He hates the cold too."

Tony made an understanding sort of face and waited. He watched his exhalations freeze on the chest plate of the armor as he waited for Bruce to think it all through, agonize, and still come out to the same conclusion. "You know you'll have to, Bruce-y."

"Don't call me that." Bruce moved to the other side of the ravine. "Oh, I hate this."

Tony frowned and started to say something, but Bruce shot up, turning green as he went, and then Hulk stood there glaring at the ice. "Hey there, Big Guy."

Hulk sighed and crouched down by Tony's feet. "Spaceman stuck."

"Oh, yeah." Tony pointed at his boot. "Can you grab that and tug easy until the ice breaks, but not the boot?"

Hulk looked it over and then took Tony's boot in his hand. "Trust Hulk?"

"Yes." Tony pushed on Hulk's knee with his hand. "Yes, I trust you."

Hulk popped the ice with an easy wrench of Tony's leg upwards. 

Tony patted the Hulk's knee. "Great job there, buddy." He lost his breathe for a moment as Hulk sat him upright. "Oh, uh, thanks." He watched Hulk pace for a few minutes and then looked up the ravine. "You want to try to get out of here, Hulk?"

Hulk peered up at the ice walls. "Hulk no like cold."

"Yeah, neither does Bruce." Tony patted the ice next to him. "Can I ask you something?"

Hulk settled next to Tony. "Yes."

"Awesome." Tony touched Hulk's arm. "Why doesn't Bruce like being called Bruce-y? Do you know?"

****

Hulk didn't like snow. He didn't like cold. Puny Bruce had taken them to endless cold to try to kill them both. Hulk frowned when Spaceman wanted to talk about Bruce. "Puny Bruce is puny."

"Yeah, I know you think that." Spaceman sighed and leaned into the ice behind them. "I think, well, it doesn't matter what I think, but Hulk..." He frowned up at Hulk. "Am I hurting him when I say that or is he just annoyed by it?"

"Everyone always hurt Puny Bruce."

Spaceman blinked. "Oh, I...I don't mean to hurt him."

Hulk scratched his head as the guilt smell from Spaceman grew stronger. "Not...not name from Spaceman. Hulk mean..." He showed Spaceman his fists. "Hurt always."

"Oh." Spaceman leaned against Hulk's side and shivered. "That sucks."

Hulk pulled Spaceman into his lap off the cold ice.

"Oh, hey, thanks." Spaceman patted Hulk's arm. "Sorry you have to be in the cold, Big Guy."

"Hulk no like. Puny Bruce no like cold lots worse. Like Hulk no like brown smell."

Spaceman snorted. "You _hate_ chili. I remember."

"Why Spaceman always remember?"

"You asked me to remember." Spaceman looked confused. "You don't ask for a lot."

Hulk peered up the ravine as the light started to go out. "Hulk never get what Hulk want until Puny Bruce find Spaceman."

"My name is Tony. Can you call me that?"

Hulk frowned and adjusted Spaceman on his lap. "Spaceman _is_ Tony?"

"Yes." Tony tilted his head back to try to look up. "Wait, wait. You think Spaceman is not Tony?"

Hulk huffed. "Spaceman zoom fly. Make Hulk smash simple easy when can."

"Okay, yeah."

"Tony feed Hulk and talk like Hulk real."

"I'm in the same suit when I do..." Spaceman touched the faceshield. "When this is down am I Spaceman?"

"Sometimes."

Spaceman frowned. "Okay...Different factors then..." Spaceman huffed and brushed at the ice on himself. "We are so talking about this when I can think straight and aren't about to become a Capsicle."

Hulk huddled him closer. "No lose Spaceman."

****

Tony could feel the suit protest Hulk's hug. "Hulk!" He sighed when Hulk let off the pressure. "I'll be fine."

Hulk snorted.

Tony smiled. "I'm tried, though. I'm going to sleep for a little while."

Hulk's face was upside down as he peered down at Tony. "No lose?"

"No, no. I just...I'm tired from the battle." Tony leaned back into Hulk as best he could. "You'll keep me warm, I know."

Hulk rumbled in his chest and tucked himself around Tony more.

Tony fell asleep listening to Hulk huff out short breaths in the cold

****

Coulson disliked cold weather gear. It was bulky and he was usually still too cold in it. He followed Clint down the ladder anyway. Clint has sworn he'd seen color in the bottom of the ravine.

Phil didn't want him to go down alone and the rest of the Avengers were still scouring the surrounding area. "See anything?"

There was a growl from down below them.

"Mr. Hulk?" Phil hoped it was the Hulk and not some half-starved cornered animal.

They got to the bottom and around a gentle curve found Hulk huddled around the Iron Man armor. Stark's face was visible and from Phil's angle he almost looked dead. There was too much color in him for death, though, which allowed Phil not to mentally panic.

Phil eased up beside Clint. "Mr. Hulk, are you injured?"

Hulk huffed. "Hulk okay."

Phil nodded and pointed at Stark. "Can we check him, please?"

With a shake of his head, Hulk pulled Stark in tighter. "No."

"Please?" Clint showed his empty hands to Hulk. "Hulk, it's okay. Nobody's going to hurt him..."

Hulk scrambled up with Stark in his arms. "NO!" He pressed himself against the far ice wall. "Everyone _always_ hurts Puny Bruce."

Phil inwardly cursed as he pushed Clint gently back behind himself. "Mr. Hulk."

Hulk was taking huge gulping breathes.

"I would like to go home. Where it is very warm." Phil kept his hands out low, open, palms turned towards the Hulk. "I can't leave you behind in the cold."

Hulk blinked and tilted his head.

"I can't leave you or Spaceman in the cold." Phil pointed upwards. "There's a helicopter waiting to take us all home."

Hulk huffed and slumped against the wall of ice behind him. "Hulk hate thump-thump."

Phil bit the inside of his cheek. "Mr. Hulk, I promise you can hold Spaceman and Agent while in the thump-thump. Would that be acceptable?"

Hulk looked to Clint. "What acceptable mean?"

"It means is that okay with you." Clint looked at Phil out of the corner of his eye.

Hulk sighed deeply. "Hulk hate cold more than thump-thump." He shifted Stark to one arm and picked up Phil in a flash.

Clint darted in close. "Sir?"

Phil adjusted his overcoat so that it didn't bunch on the scar across his chest. "I'm alright."

****

Tony woke up partway through Clint trying to convince Hulk he had to put everyone down long enough to get rigged up for the lift out of the ravine. "Oh, hey there, Agent."

Phil glared at him from behind a fringe of fake fur on his hood. "I am convinced this is your fault, Stark."

Tony smiled, giggled until Phil smacked at him, and patted Phil on the head before he started helping Clint talk to Hulk.

****

Hulk watched the thump-thump land. "No like."

Spaceman stood next to him, his armor giving off heat now that his glow was bright again. "Yeah, there's a word for that."

"No like is hate." Hulk sat down on the ice. "Hulk know. Can Puny Bruce do thump-thump?"

Spaceman turned, looking surprised. "Uh, I guess. Are you asking my permission?"

Hulk frowned. "Spaceman, Tony, all friend of Puny Bruce."

"Oooh. You want to know if he hates thump-thumps more than you."

With a smile, Hulk nodded. "Tony understand Hulk always."

Spaceman blinked. "Sometimes, maybe. Let's split the difference. You walk up into the thump-thump and onto a blanket and then change. Okay?"

Hulk nodded. "Okay."


End file.
